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SCIENCEWednesday 27 December 2017
Feral hog poison field tests in Texas, Alabama in 2018
By JANET McCONNAUGHEY In this Aug. 24, 2011, file photo, a feral hog stands in a holding pen at Easton View Outfitters in quail and sea turtle eggs.
Associated Press Forty-one states joined
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Feral Valley Falls, N.Y. USDA’s feral swine control
swine do more than $1.5 program in 2014, after Con-
billion a year in damage Associated Press gress appropriated $20 mil-
around the country, and lion a year. New York and
scientists are taking what news to Samuel “Sammy” across — though commu- cal. Idaho since left it after go-
could be a big step toward ing two years without any
controlling them. Williams, who farms about nal wallows can be much Hogs also can spread doz- confirmed sightings of feral
They are field-testing poi- hogs, program manager
son baits made from a 2,000 acres (3,220 hect- bigger. ens of diseases. Their root- Dale Nolte said. He said five
preservative that’s used to other states — Washington,
cure bacon and sausage. ares) of cotton, corn and “I saw one 20 to 25 feet (6 ing and wallowing can Maryland, Minnesota, New
The tests will cover two Jersey and Wisconsin — are
major habitats where feral peanuts in Alabama near to 8 meters) across, and the destroy pretty much any believed free of feral swine,
hogs are common during and are in a two-year eval-
seasons when they’re most Georgia and Florida. hogs had knocked down a terrain, fouling waterways uation period to be sure.
likely to go for bait, said Kurt The program included $1.5
VerCauteren, feral swine Williams said he’s killed couple acres of corn right and exposing banks to ero- million a year for toxic-bait
project leader for the U.S. research.
Department of Agriculture nearly 200 feral hogs a around that hole,” he said. sion. Invasive plants often The federal government
Wildlife Services. Tests will has previously approved a
start early in 2018 in dry year for the past four years, Hogs did so much damage take over uncultivated ar- feral hog bait that uses the
west Texas and continue blood-thinner warfarin, but
in humid central Alabama but those that survived still to a neighbor’s 30-acre eas rooted up by hogs, Ver- no states have approved it
around midsummer. so far, VerCauteren said.
The bait Vercauteren is damaged his crops. Swine (12-hectare) hay field that Cauteren noted. VerCauteren, who works
working on uses the meat out of Fort Collins, Colora-
preservative sodium nitrite. love corn and peanuts and the neighbor offered it free And hogs will eat just about do, worked on the sodium
It can keep an animal’s red nitrite bait with scientists at
blood cells from pulling in will root up cotton fields for for Williams’ use. He took anything. They compete Texas Parks and Wildlife De-
oxygen. Pigs make very low partment, Auburn Universi-
levels of an enzyme that weed tubers, he said. They the offer and installed an with deer and turkey for ty and in Australia and New
counteracts it, so it’s more Zealand.
deadly to them than to hu- also make “wallow holes” 4 electric fence — but fenc- acorns and also eat fawns If the field trials work well,
mans or most domestic ani- the new bait might get
mals. Swine that gobble up to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 meters) ing all his fields isn’t practi- and eggs, not to mention federal approval in 2020,
enough sodium nitrite show opening the way for states
symptoms similar to carbon to approve it. But at least
dioxide poisoning: They for the first several years,
become uncoordinated, landowners will have to get
lose consciousness and die the USDA to set up the bait
within 90 minutes after eat- and feeders.
ing it. “It’s not going to be on the
The prospect of a new way shelves of Home Depot,”
to fight the beasts is good VerCauteren said.q
Study: Distance restrictions on orcas haven’t hurt tourism
SEATTLE (AP) — Restrictions ed that whale-watching boat noise are the primary traveling, according to whales each year, said Mi-
limiting boats from getting tourism continues to grow threats to the survival of researchers. The restric- chael Harris, former execu-
too close to endangered even with the federal re- Puget Sound orcas, ac- tions enacted in 2011 were tive director of the Pacific
southern resident killer strictions that require ves- cording to the agency. aimed at reducing the Whale Watch Association.
whales have not harmed sels to stay at least 200 The population of southern stress placed on the orcas When boats enforcing
the whale-watching indus- yards (182 meters) from resident whales is down to from noise. Departing from the restrictions are on the
try, according to a new the orcas in Washington’s 76 — the lowest in 30 years. more than 20 locations on water, the study found
federal study. Puget Sound, The Seattle Noise from boats can dis- both sides of the U.S.-Can- the federal rules to be
The study by the National Times reported . turb orcas, causing them ada border, about 400,000 more effective with fewer
Oceanic and Atmospher- Lack of food, environmen- to spend less time looking people take commer- violations by recreational
ic Administration indicat- tal contamination and for food and more time cial tour boats to watch vessels.q
